I know it gas only been a day (or so) since the WordPress iPhone blogging app has come out but I have already used it to do at least 5 posts on various blogs. As I speculated it is allowing me to blog more which I really have been struggling to do. The fact that I can blog from anywhere has caused me to try to utilize my down time more and I am actually trying to think of things to blog about now. Also, I do not feel restricted by the tiny keyboard and have actually typed some rather long posts (quite longer then long emails that I have done in the past).
With that there have been somethings that have surfaced on my like/dislike/wish lists in regards to the app. I will start with the likes first.
Likes
- Using the iPhone Keyboard for content – the suggestions and spell check while you type are great.
- Multiple blogs available – I have only setup 3 as of right now but it is nice to just open the app and start typing.
- Local saved copies of drafts – the fact that it saves it locally is cool in the case you are blogging and do not have Internet for some reason.
- Remote drafts – I like this because I may want to do a post that I would want supporting images formatted in the post (not after the post).
- Categories and Tags – it reads your categories from your blog and you can add new ones from the app if you like.
- Attaching images to posts – while still primitive I would still rather have it in it’s present form then not at all.
- Preview of your post – it is awesome that you can see what it looks like on your blog before publishing.
Dislikes
- No inline images – I really like to put images in the content of my posts, not neccesarily after
- It’s really hard to do HTML markup – it’s available and supported in the app but it is a pain. I was going to code these lists in HTML but gave up after the third tag. This has a lot to do with the iPhone keyboard and where characters are placed. Also the spellcheck/auto complete really don’t help here (they actually do the opposite of help).
- You have to leave your password intact to have a blog listed in the app. I have a private journal that I don’t want anybody to stumble into if they are checking out my phone. I would rather be prompted for a password to access it (it us a private blog).
- You cannot access your online images already on your blog. This would be great.
- Uploaded images do not adhere to standard resizing rules. In WordPress 2.5+ you get to set the thumbnail and medium sizes of uploaded images. The app uploaded and displays the smaller image size from the iPhone.
Wish List
- Some sort of HTML macros for lists and other formatting items.
- More/Better image support
- Password protect app/individual blogs.
Overall the app is one of the most usable iPhone apps for me. All the others that I have downloaded are mostly toys in comparison. For me it is completely usable in its current state despite my dislikes and wish list items. I have come to realize that blogging is about the content more then anything else and this app addresses that head on. I would pay money for it if necessary but am happy that it is free. I would gladly pay money for a version that has more advanced features included.
This app will definitely change the way I blog and frequency in which I post.